Is Bovada a scam? What to know before you deposit

ByCrown Wagers Editorial Team Updated Bovada Help

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Bovada is a real business that has taken bets from Americans since 2011 and pays out under its own published rules, so it isn’t a scam in the usual sense of a site that takes deposits and vanishes. But no US state licenses it, and the regulators who have written to it call it illegal. If you disagree with a decision about your money, there’s no one to appeal to except Bovada.

What counts in Bovada’s favor

Bovada launched in December 2011, when its predecessor, Bodog, pulled its brand out of the US. Its help center lists the limits, fees and processing times for each payment method, so you can check most costs before you sign up. Bovada says withdrawal requests are reviewed in about 24 to 48 hours, and crypto is sent within a day of approval. Support runs 24/7 by live chat, and you can turn on two-factor authentication.

Why regulators call it illegal

Its site claims licenses from the Union of the Comoros and the “Central Reserve Authority of Western Sahara,” which one financial news site called a “phoney regulator” in 2025. State regulators name its operator as Harp Media B.V. of Curaçao. There’s more in where Bovada is located.

In 2024 and 2025, at least 18 states sent Bovada cease-and-desist letters or similar warnings. It pulled out of 13 of them and now turns away residents of 19 states and Washington, DC.

Some of the language is blunt. Arizona’s Department of Gaming said Bovada’s operation there “is alleged to be a felony criminal enterprise.” The Massachusetts Attorney General wrote that drawing people into illegal, unregulated gambling “by posing as a legitimate business is a violation of state consumer protection law.”

Its current and former operators were also named in a Kentucky class action, filed in 2023, that seeks to recover players’ gambling losses under state law. In December 2025, a federal judge refused to dismiss the case against Alwyn Morris, whose company ran Bovada in its early years.

If something goes wrong, Bovada decides

With a state-licensed sportsbook, you can take a complaint about a voided bet or a stuck withdrawal to the state’s gaming regulator. With Bovada, there’s nobody outside the company to escalate to. Washington’s Gambling Commission warns that with unlicensed sportsbooks, “the bettor’s money could be withheld or disappear without a way to recover it.”

You start by emailing service@bovada.lv, and you can ask for a supervisor. If that doesn’t settle it, you can write to disputeresolution@bovada.lv between 7 days and 6 months after the problem came up. Both addresses are Bovada’s own. After that, its terms send disputes to arbitration under the rules of an organization Bovada selects, apply the law of Anjouan in the Comoros, and include a class-action waiver.

The practical risks

Fees

After your first card deposit, Bovada charges 15.9% or more on card deposits, and your card issuer may add its own fees. Every check withdrawal costs $100. Crypto carries no Bovada fee, though network fees can apply. There’s more in our guide to Bovada’s fees.

Verification before you’re paid

Before a withdrawal is processed, you may be asked for photos of a government ID. If you’ve ever deposited by credit card, you’ll also need to send a verification form for each card. Bovada’s KYC policy says that if your information is false or can’t be verified, the account may be closed and potential winnings nullified.

Bonus terms

When you take a deposit bonus, your deposit is locked along with it and released as you work through the rollover: 5x for the sports bonuses and 25x or more for the casino ones. While a bonus is active, a single sports bet can’t be more than half your deposit (20% in the casino). Cashing out before you finish “may result in the bonus and any winnings attained being forfeited.” Our guide to locked funds explains how it works.

Account closures and forfeited balances

Bovada’s terms let it close an account “for any reason, at any time in our sole discretion.” They also let it void wagers by professional players and by anyone it decides is abusing its bonuses or bet limits.

Breaking certain rules can cost you your whole balance. Using a VPN or proxy to hide your location, or giving false information, counts as fraud under the terms, and the penalty is losing “all Account balances (including both deposits and any winnings).”

You’re allowed one account, and only one per household, and Bovada can close duplicates immediately and seize money gained through them. An account with no deposits, withdrawals or bets for 18 months is zeroed out, after an email warning at 17 months. We cover the rest in why Bovada disables accounts.

Taxes

Bovada says it doesn’t report winnings to tax authorities, but that doesn’t make them tax-free. The IRS says gambling winnings are fully taxable and must be reported on your return, including winnings that never appear on a Form W-2G.

People pretending to be Bovada

Bovada warns about scammers posing as its staff who ask you to cancel a withdrawal and send the money to another player’s username. It says it will never ask for your password or tell you to transfer funds to a specific player. MatchPay and player transfers put you in touch with other players, so read Bovada’s peer-to-peer scam advice before using them.

How to protect yourself

  • Check that your state isn’t on Bovada’s restricted list, and read up on your own state’s gambling law before you deposit. This isn’t legal advice.
  • Sign up with your real details, and send in any card verification forms before your first withdrawal.
  • Avoid card deposits after the first one. Crypto has no Bovada fee, and Bovada recommends sending it from a personal wallet rather than straight from an exchange.
  • Read the bonus terms before you enter a code. Without a bonus, a deposit only has to be wagered once.
  • Don’t use a VPN, and don’t let anyone else use your account.
  • Turn on two-factor authentication, and type Bovada’s address yourself instead of following links in emails or texts.
  • Withdraw winnings as you go rather than leaving a large balance, and keep copies of bet slips, chats and emails in case of a dispute.

If your state has legal online sports betting, a state-licensed sportsbook gives you more protection, because it answers to a regulator. Our Bovada review covers Bovada’s bonuses and payout times.

If you’ve weighed those risks and live in a state Bovada accepts, this link goes to its current welcome offers.

Visit Bovada

Affiliate link. 18+ (or older where your state requires). Not available in 19 states and Washington, DC.

Only bet what you’ve set aside to lose. If gambling has stopped being fun, call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) for free, confidential help, 24/7, or chat online with the National Problem Gambling Helpline.

Sources

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